Does Hunter Biden Still Co-Own a Company With China's Government? Kirby: 'I Don't Have Any for You' (October 26, 2022)

A reporter asked the White House a question about the President’s son that it had never answered. “And on China, this is a very simple question but it’s an enduring point of uncertainty: Does the President’s son still co-own a company with China’s government? And if not, can you provide some basic transparency about who bought that stake and how much money?” the reporter asked on Oct. 26, 2022 [1].

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby took the question and skipped it. “I don’t have any for you on your second question. But let me — let me address your first,” Kirby said, according to the official White House transcript [1].

The video above shows the exchange at the Oct. 26, 2022, briefing. Quotes are from the official White House transcript, the Washington Examiner and Fox News [1][2][3].

”Sold My Father for Oil”

The reporter’s first question was about an American held in Saudi Arabia. “A U.S. citizen, Saad Almadi, who’s imprisoned for a series of tweets he sent — his son told me that President Biden, quote, ‘sold my father for oil by prioritizing gas prices over his release.’ Do you have a response to that?” [1]

“First of all, we understand the angst that the family is going through. We appreciate that. We respect that,” Kirby said [1].

“Is he wrongfully detained? And can we expect President Biden to directly address this case?” the reporter asked. “I would refer you to the State Department for the characterization of this particular case,” Kirby said [1].

“Is the President going to be publicly mentioning this? He, of course, did not mention it publicly when he went to Saudi Arabia in July,” the reporter pressed. “I won’t get beyond that in terms of talking about specific cases,” Kirby said [1].

”We Didn’t Have a Meltdown”

Earlier that month, Saudi Arabia and its OPEC+ partners had decided to cut oil production. A reporter Kirby called Jacqui asked whether more cuts were coming. “John, the Saudis took a veiled shot at the administration for selling the country’s emergency oil reserves and said that that decision may become a painful one in the next few months. Is there any indication that they plan to further cut production?” [1]

“I’d have to refer you to them, Jacqui. I don’t have insight into what — you know, what their future decisions will or won’t be,” Kirby said [1].

The reporter cited reports “that the decision from the Saudis and OPEC+ came as a surprise and caused a bit of a meltdown in the West Wing.” Kirby answered: “No. I mean, there’s a lot there. First of all, we didn’t have a meltdown.” [1]

“About a 25-Day Supply”

The same reporter asked about diesel. “What are we doing to increase the supply of diesel, given that the Energy Information Administration said, as of October 14th, the U.S. only had about a 25-day supply? You have the northeast and New York already rationing home heating oil.” [1]

“I’ll take the question on the diesel, because I just don’t have the data on that in front of me,” Kirby said [1].

”No.”

With the midterms less than two weeks away, a reporter asked Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about the polls. “By a 2-to-1 margin, voters trust Republicans more than Democrats to handle the economy. I wonder, given this sort of majority sentiment of voters, is the President considering making any changes to his economic team after the midterms?” [1]

“No. Go ahead, Steve,” Jean-Pierre said [1].

”I Knew You Were Going to Ask That Question”

Pennsylvania’s Democratic Senate candidate, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, had debated the night before. “Did the President watch last night’s Senate debate in Pennsylvania?” a reporter asked [1].

“I knew you were going to ask that question. (Laughter.) So, I actually tried to get an answer for you. I went to the Oval, but the President has had a very busy morning,” Jean-Pierre said. She “was not able to get an answer on that — if he was able to watch the debate last night.” [1]

She added that “the President looks forward to working with the lieutenant governor when he is — when he is in the Senate.” [1]

A reporter Jean-Pierre called Kelly O. pressed her. “Was the White House in any way surprised by the performance of the lieutenant governor in the debate? I know that people here — including not just the President, but others — have been in touch with him. But was there any surprise, in terms of how he performed, given the auditory processing, given the high profile of the evening, and that sort of thing?” [1]

“So, look, it’s — it’s been a busy day, as you know; you guys have been watching the President,” Jean-Pierre said, pointing to Biden’s junk-fee speech. “So it’s not a conversation that we are — we are currently having here internally.” [1]

“And in those conversations, did he need to have any additional captioning service or anything like that to help facilitate that conversation with the President?” the reporter asked. “And so, you know, I’m not going to — I’m not going to get into what he shouldn’t do, not do — medical,” Jean-Pierre said [1].

”Getting a Needle in His Arm”

Another reporter noted how long it had been since Biden held a White House news conference. “It’s been since January since the President has held a press conference here at the White House,” the reporter said. “And can we please get him in here?” [1]

“The President took questions — he literally took questions while he was getting a needle in his arm yesterday and getting the new vaccine,” Jean-Pierre said [1].

“Well, just let him know we’d love to see him in here someday,” the reporter said [1].

”Smiled but Did Not Engage”

Biden himself took no questions that day. After his morning speech on fees, “POTUS wrapped up his remarks at 11:34am, after speaking for about 13 minutes. He did not answer any shouted questions.” the White House pool reported [4].

At midday he hosted Israeli President Isaac Herzog in the Oval Office. “After both leaders finished speaking at 12:59pm, there was a chorus of shouted questions from the press. POTUS and President Herzog smiled but did not engage. Pool was ushered out at 1pm,” the pooler wrote [4].

By the Numbers

25 days: the U.S. diesel supply the reporter cited from the Energy Information Administration [1].
2 to 1: the margin by which voters trusted Republicans on the economy, per the reporter [1].
10%: the share of the Chinese firm BHR held through Skaneateles, the company Hunter Biden started [2].

What Happened Next

The stake moved to a friend. In June 2023, the Washington Examiner reported that Kevin Morris, “a close Hunter Biden confidante, appears to be the current owner of Skaneateles, an LLC started by the younger Biden through which he held his 10% share” in the Chinese investment firm BHR [2].

“The circumstances surrounding Hunter Biden’s transfer of his interest in a Chinese-backed investment fund are suspicious to the Committee,” House Oversight Chairman James Comer told the Examiner [2].

Then came the pardon. “President Biden pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, after the first son was convicted in two separate federal cases earlier this year,” Fox News reported on Dec. 1, 2024 [3].

For Biden’s speech on junk fees that same day, see HYGO News’ page on Oct. 26, 2022.